By Mark Vester
The boxing spark is apparently back in heavyweight David Tua (44-3-1, 38KOs), at least that's what Tua and new trainer Roger Bloodworth claim.
Tua makes his return to the ring on Wednesday night at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan, against 40-year-old Edward Gutierrez (15-2-1).
The fight marks the third bout of Tua's comeback since being away from the ring for over two years due to legal battles in New Zealand with his former managers and trainer.
"I actually think it's a good thing that he didn't fight for a couple of years," trainer, Roger Bloodworth, told the Arizona Republic. "Because of everything that was going on, he just had no more interest in boxing. He'd had it. But the spark is back. We want to keep busy for three or more fights."
Tua is coming off a poor split-decision performance over 17-4 heavyweight Cisse Salif, but promises a better performance this time around.